Walking the river valley

As part of the 15th Anniversary celebrations, members of the GANG are participating in 15 different walks in the beautiful river valley.

Week 1: A small but dedicated group gathered at Terwillegar Park, and set off towards Henday Bridge, about 6 kms total.

Week 2: A much larger group (we split into two groups) set out again from Terwillegar Park but this time headed towards the Fort Edmonton bridge, about 5 kms. A lovely, warm day.

A beautifully decorated tree along the path.

Week 3: Our members walked from Fort Edmonton Bridge to Quesnell Bridge Loop: about 5.5 kms total.  This was a pleasant, easy walk, no hills, one small staircase that featured a chance to have a good look at the Talus sculpture of silver balls as we approach the Quesnell Bridge!

Week 4: Quesnell Bridge/Hawrelak Footbridge Loop.

This walk followed the river closely on both sides. it is pretty  and quite flat except for a short section which took us up to Sask. Drive and then back down into a 1 km woodland section which can be described as “gently undulating.”

The Talus Dome sculpture, near the Quesnell Bridge

Week 5: Hawrelak Park-Groat Bridge-Summit Drive loop

A spectacularly sunny day and an amazing (over 9 k) walk. Beautiful vistas, tree-lined pathways beside the river and good company (socially distanced of course).

Week 6: Emily Murphy Park to Kinsmen Park

An interesting varied walking trail, crossing 2 bridges.

A great place to stop and enjoy the sun!

Week 7: Walterdale Bridge to Low Level Bridge Loop

A bit chilly at the start, but the weather warmed up, the trees are in bloom and the parks along the river are green and gorgeous.

Week 8: Our group  of seven completed Walk 8, one of the longest at around 9.5 kms, and with a couple of good hills, on the hottest day of the year so far! We enjoyed the walk through Riverdale, and the many sights to see in Louise McKinney Park, but could have done without the slog up Cameron Ave! We made a stop at the concession stand and enjoyed some ice cream , a treat from Vicki, to celebrate the halfway point of our river valley treks.

Week 9: This walk took us east through beautiful Dawson Park along a mostly flat granular trail close to the river, passing below Highlands golf course, then up the only staircase of the hike, onto Capilano Bridge. After crossing the bridge, we headed back west again, close to the river, this time below Riverside Golf Course. The trail came out at Rowland Road, just before the Dawson Bridge, and beside the golf clubhouse, which now boasts a nice little café with a spacious patio.  After crossing the bridge were were back at Dawson Park, completing the loop. The walk is about 6 kms. and took us just under two hours.

Week 10:

With walk ten we move out of central Edmonton and are now into the eastern part of the city. We learned that the 50th street footbridge, and the whole of Capilano Park, are both closed and under renovation, so we have adjusted our walk. We did a nice loop on a good trail below Capilano and Hardisty Drives, with the second half up on top of the valley, with excellent viewpoints over the city and a good strong wind to keep us cool.

Week 11:

We walked a lovely gentle gravel trail below Goldbar park, one of our favourites, with its little ponds and lots of shady trails. We managed to avoid the construction and walked from the parking lot to the Rundle footbridge and over into Rundle Park. We crossed the Ainsworth Dyer memorial footbridge and read the plaque about Corporal Dyer, who was killed in 2002 in Afghanistan.

Week 12: Postponed due to hot weather

Week 13:

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